Morriss was unable to produce a winning record in his five seasons, going 18-40 overall and 7-33 in conference games. He had a year left on his contract.

Athletic director Ian McCaw said he told Morriss of the decision today. The move had been anticipated for several weeks.

The leading candidate to replace Morriss is Baylor icon Mike Singletary, a linebacker for coach Grant Teaff and the Bears from 1977-80. Singletary was selected to 10 straight Pro Bowls during his 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears and was elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

"I want to publicly express my appreciation to coach Morriss for his contributions to the Baylor football program," McCaw said in a statement from the Waco campus. "The football program is on a more solid foundation than it was when he arrived at Baylor."

The Bears (3-9, 0-8 Big 12) ended their season with a 45-14 home loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday night. Morriss met with the players this afternoon after he was fired.

"I would like to thank them publicly for their hard work and efforts on the field as well as in the classroom," Morriss said in a statement. "I believe the football program is in better condition now than when I inherited it. I wish Baylor well in all future endeavors."

Baylor interviewed Singletary before hiring Morriss five years ago, but Singletary had no coaching experience at that time. He does now.

Singletary is in his third season as assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who played at home today. He was an assistant in Baltimore two seasons before that and has interviewed for three NFL head coaching jobs, including the Dallas Cowboys last winter.